Was the first African American to become a noted fashion designer.Her one-of-a-kind designs were a favorite among high society matrons from the 1920s to the 1960s.Ann was known for designing the ivory silk taffeta wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F Kennedy in 1953.Ann was born in in rural Clayton, Alabama.She was the great granddaughter of an enslaved woman and an Alabama plantation owner.Ann had an older sister,Sallie.Ann attended school in Alabama until she dropped out at the age of 14.Ann interst in fashion,sewing and designing came from her mama Janey and grandma Georgia,both of whom were seamstresses.They ran a dressmaking business that was often frequented by the first families of Montgomery and other members of high society.Her mama died when she was 16.At this time,Ann took over the family business.Ann was married twice and had two children.She married her first husband Lee Cohen,in 1912. They had a son, Arthur Lee,who later worked as her busines partner until his death from a car accident in 1958.Lee left Ann because he opposed her having a career.She married for a second time, to Caleb West,that marriage also ended.Ann later said,"My second husband left me. He said he wanted a real wife,not one who was forever jumping out of the bed to sketch dresses.Ann later adopted a daughter, Ruth Alexander. In the 1930s, lived in an apartment on Manhattan Avenue in Harlem. Her older sister Sallie later lived with her. Both were members of St.Mark's United Methodist Church.
In 1917, Ann and her son moved to New York City,where she enrolled at S.T. Taylor Design School.As the school was segregated,she was required to attend classes in a room alone.Segregation did not stop her,and still managed to rise above her peers in school.Her work was often shown to her white peers in recognition of her outstanding artistry,and she was eligible for graduation after attending school for only half a year. After graduating in 1919,she and her son moved to Tampa Florida.The following year,
she opened her first dress salon.The salon catered to members of high society and quickly became a success.Having saved $20,000 from her earnings,Ann returned to New York City in 1928.During the 1950's and 1960's,she worked on commission for stores such as Henri Bendel,Montaldo's, I Magnin,
Chez Sonia,Neiman Marcus,& Saks Fifth Avenue.In 1946, she designed the dress that Olivia de wore to accept the Academy Award for Best Actress for To Each His Own,although the name on the dress was Sonia Rosenburg.
As she was not getting credit for her work,Ann and Arthur Lee opened a second salon,Ann Lowe's Gowns,in New York City on Lexington Avenue in 1950.Her one-of-a-kind designs made from the finest fabrics were an immediate success and attracted many wealthy, high society clients.Design elements for which she was known include fine hardwork, signature flowers, and trapunto technique.Ann signature designs are what helped her eventually become recognized for her work.In 1964,the Saturday Evening Post later called Ann "society's best kept secret" and in 1966,Ebony magazine referred to her as "The Dean of American Designers. Throughout her career, Ann was known for being highly selective in choosing her clientele. She later describe herself as "an awful snob", adding: ''love my clothes and i'm particular about who wears them. I am not interested in sewing for cafe society or social climbers. I do not care for Mary & Sue I sew for the families of the Social Register.Over the course of her career,Ann created designs for several generations of the Auchincloss,Rockefeller,Roosevelt,Lodge,Du Pont,Post,Bouvier,Whitney,and Biddle families.She created dresses for many notable African American clients as well, including Elizabeth Mance who was a well known pianist at the time,and Idella Kohke, a member of the Negro Actors Guild.
In 1953,Janet Lee Auchincloss hired Ann to design a wedding dress for daughter, the future First Lady Jacquenline Bouvier,and the dresses for her bridal attendants for September wedding to then-
Senator John fitzgerald Kennedy.Janet Lee Auchincloss also chose Ann to design her own wedding dress for her marriage to Hugh Dudley Auchincloss in 1942. Ann's dress for Janet consisted of fifty yards of "Ivory silk taffeta with interwoven bands of tucking forming the bodice and similar tucking in large circular designs swept around the skirt.During the creation of this infamous dress,Ann's studio flooded just 10 days before the wedding.She and her team worked tirelessly to recreate the dres.Ann never mentioned this incident to the family and had to pay for any additional costs herself.
The dress cost $500 (approximately $5,000 today),was described in detail in The New York Time's coverage of the wedding. While the Bouvier-Kennedy wedding was a highly publicized event,Ann did not receive public credit for her work until after the assassination of John F.Kennedy.
Throughout her career,Ann continued to work for wealthy clientele who often talked her out of charging hundreds of dollars for her designs.After paying her staff,she often failed to make a profit on her designs. Ann later admitted that at the height of her career,she was virtually broke.In 1961 she received the Couturier of the Year award in 1962,she lost her salon in New York City after failing to pay taxes.That same year,her right eye was removed due to to glaucoma.While she was recuperating, an anonymous paid for Ann's debts which enable her to work again.In 1963 she declared bankruptcy.Soon after,she developed a cataract in her left eye; surgery saved her eye.In 1968,she opened a new store,Ann Originals, on Madison Avenue.Ann retired in 1972.
In the last five years of her life,Ann lived with her daughter Ruth in Queens.She died at her daghter's home after an extended illness.Her funeral was held at St.Mark's United Methodist Church in March.
No comments:
Post a Comment